A high percentage of the fat lost on a low carb diet comes from the belly area and the liver. This is the dangerous visceral fat that builds up in and around the organs, driving inflammation and disease (8, 9, 10).

These diets are particularly effective for people with metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. The evidence is overwhelming.

However, there is a lot of controversy about why these diets work.

People like to debate the mechanism, the stuff that is actually going on in our organs and cells that makes the weight go off.

Unfortunately, this is not fully known, and chances are that it is multifactorial – as in, there are many different reasons why these diets are so effective (11).

In this article, I take look at some of the most convincing explanations for the effectiveness of low carb diets.

According to many experts on low-carb diets, including Gary Taubes and the late Dr.Atkins, lower insulin levels are the main reason for the effectiveness of low-carb diets.

They have claimed that, when carbs are restricted and insulin levels go down, the fat isn’t “locked” away in the fat cells anymore, and becomes accessible for the body to use as energy, leading to reduced need for eating.

However, I’d like to point out that many respected obesity researchers do not believe this to be true, and do not think the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis of obesity is supported by the evidence.

Bottom Line: Blood levels of the hormone insulin go way down when carb intake is reduced. High insulin levels contribute to fat storage, and low insulin levels facilitate fat burning.

Water Weight Drops Rapidly in The Beginning

Insulin: When insulin goes down, the kidneys start shedding excess sodium from the body. This also lowers blood pressure (15).

Glycogen: The body stores carbs in the form of glycogen, which binds water in the muscles and liver. When carb intake goes down, glycogen levels in the body go down, and the water follows along.

This does not happen to nearly the same extent on a higher carb diet, even if calories are reduced significantly.

Even though some people use this as an argument against low-carb diets, reduced water weight should be considered an advantage.

I mean, who wants to carry around excess bloat and water weight all the time?

Anyway, despite claims to the contrary, this is far from being the main weight loss advantage of low-carb diets.

The studies clearly show that low-carb diets lead to more fat being lost as well, especially the “dangerous” belly fat found in the abdominal cavity (8, 16).

So, part of the weight loss advantage of low-carb diets is explained by reductions in water weight, but there is still a major fat loss advantage as well.

Bottom Line: When people go low-carb, they lose significant amounts of excess water from their bodies. This explains the rapid weight loss seen in the first week or two.

Low Carb Diets Are High in Protein

In most studies where low carb and low fat diets are compared, the low carb groups end up eating much more protein.

This is because people replace many low-protein foods (grains, sugars) with higher protein foods like meat, fish and eggs.

Numerous studies show that protein can reduce appetite, boost metabolism, and help increase muscle mass, which is metabolically active and burns calories around the clock (17, 18, 19, 20).

Many nutrition experts believe that the high protein content of low-carb diets is the main reason for their effectiveness.

Bottom Line: Low carb diets tend to be much higher in protein than low fat diets. Protein can reduce appetite, boost metabolism and help people hold on to muscle mass despite restricting calories.

Low Carb Diets Have a Metabolic Advantage

Although this is controversial, many experts do believe that low carb diets have a metabolic advantage.

In other words, that low carb diets increase your energy expenditure, and that people lose more weight than can be explained by reduced calorie intake alone.

There are actually some studies to support this.

A study conducted in 2012 found that a very low carb diet increased energy expenditure compared to a low fat diet, during a period of weight maintenance (21).

The increase was around 250 calories, which is equivalent to an hour of moderate-intensity exercise per day!

However, another study has suggested that it may be the high protein (but not low carb) part of the diet that causes the increase in calories burned (22).

That being said, there are other mechanisms that may cause an additional metabolic advantage.

On a very low carb, ketogenic diet, when carb intake is kept extremely low, a lot of protein is being transformed into glucose in the beginning, a process called gluconeogenesis (23).

This is an inefficient process, and can lead to hundreds of calories being “wasted.” However, this is mostly temporary as ketones should start replacing some of that glucose as brain fuel within a few days (24).

Bottom Line: Low-carb diets appear to have a metabolic advantage, but most of it is caused by the increased protein intake. In the beginning of a very low carb, ketogenic diet, some calories are wasted when glucose is produced.

Low Carb Diets Are Less Varied, and Lower in “Food Reward”

Low carb diets automatically exclude some of the world’s most fattening junk foods.

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Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. Statements made here have not been evaluated by the FDA. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet.